Goodnight, my little bambinos
by CatX3
Summary: A typical night for Mario and Luigi as kids. Really don't know how to summarize this one, but if you're looking for a cute brotherly-love fic: this is for you! Background story inside


**Hi ho guys! Sooooo, this is my first Mario story, and I'm hoping that this will get me accepted into the Mario Archive! :D Bascially, my favorite mario stories are about Mario and Luigi's brotherly love...so what better for my first Mario fic than exactly that! The bros are about 5-6 years old here, and are living in the 'real' world with their mommy and daddy (heehee). **

**See, this is how I always thoughts their background story was: Their father used to be the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom (with fireball powers and jumping powers and all that stuff, cuz he was born there), and would save the princess (Peach's mother) from Bowser's father, and did that for years. But then he decided that he wanted to return to the real world and have a regular life with a family. During the time he was gone (the Princess married and became queen), Bowser and Peach were both born (around the Same time Mario and Luigi were born in the real world, without their powers yet). Years later, Bowser's dad killed the King and Queen, so the toads banded together and ran him out of the kingdom forever. Peach took over the kingdom, and Bowser became king of the koopas. Partially to get revenge, and partially because he was in love with Peach, Bowser kidnapped her and held her captive trying to win her affections for months. Soon enough, Mario and Luigi (now adults like Bowser and Peach) somehow got sucked into that world. The toads recognized the family resemblence, and humbly asked the bros to save the princess. After a lot of explaining (about their dad, new powers that theyr just discovered, they accepted and as we all know, ended up saving her. It was pretty much love at first sight for Mario and Peach, and so Mario and Luigi decided to stay in the Mushroom Kingdom in case Bowser ever came back for revenge. And of course, he did. And it is still a constant battle to this day! :) :takes deep breath: That's how I think it happened, but hey...everyone has their own interpritation right? **

**Ah well, if any of you actually read that. Congrats! :D Now, onto the story! Disclaimer: this story is exclusively for entertainment purposes only, I do not own any of the characters or refrencesused in this fic. As always, ENJOY!**

"Woosh! Woosh!" Mario hissed out these words as he thrust out his hands every which-way. He ran over to the line of stuffed animals he had set up, and shoved them over onto their backs as his pretend fireballs took them out. "Take that you goombas!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a lone hammer bro, silently aiming to hit Mario on the head. He jumped onto couch cusion - I mean bouncy mushroom, followed by another, and another. He used this to his advantage and leaped up onto the top of a desk where the hammer bro stood.

He clicked his tounge for sound effects as he threw two fireballs, one sending the enemy into a puff of smoke, and the other bouncing off the wall and hitting him straight in the chest. "Gah!" Mario frantically hopped around the tabletop and patted out the flames on his red and blue footy pyjamas; knocking a cup of pencils and pens to the floor in the process.

Mario winced as he heard the loud thud, knowing what would follow. "Mario! Did you knock something breakable over again? !"

He tapped his fingers together and said something that probably wasn't the best thing to say. "It wasn't breakable this time!" A deep sigh could be heard from outside the door to the hallway, obviously his mother's way of showing she was annoyed. "You'd better clean it up!"

"I will!" He lied as he stepped down from the desk. Then, from behind him, he heard the unmistakeable sound of koopa troopas stomping towards him. Mario whipped around, gasping at the sight of more than 10 koopas in pursuit. Sweat dropped from his forehead as he looked around him for a solution, spotting a floating question mark block above him.

He leaped upward, his fist pounding into the block. "A power star!" Music sounded in his head, signalling that he was gifted for a short time with the power of invinciblility. As he prepared to charge the group of enemies, a high-pitched shriek inturrupted his thoughts.

"Eeeeeeek! Help me, Mario!" His gaze shot to the source of the noise; his brother, Luigi. He was leaning over the edge of the top bunk of their bed - styling a pink dress that their mother had sewn together quickly, and a crown cut out of carboard that the brothers had painted yellow together. Their favorite stuffed turtle, even bigger than they were, sat directly next to Luigi.

Mario couldn't hold back the smirk on his face as he saw his baby brother wearing the pink rag Mama had barely tried on making nice. "Don't worry Princess, I'll save you!" He bounded across the koopa's heads easily, using the power star to kill them instantly.

Once he had destroyed them all, he climbed up the ladder decorated with stickers of Mario and Luigi's favorite baseball players. Now on the top bunk, he shoved the stuffed turtle over the edge of the bed, sending it plummeting to the ground. "Yes! Super Mario wins again, Bowser!" He threw his hands in the air excitedly.

He clenched his fists and flexed his arms out, showing off his 'muscles'. Luigi rolled his eyes, being extremely used to his brother's arrogance. "My hero..." He spoke half-heartedly.

Mario noticed this and narrowed his eyes, a questioning look on his face. "What's wrong, Weegee? We love playing this game." Luigi sighed and slowly slipped off the raggety gown, revealing his pyjamas matching Mario's (except they were green), folding it nicely and placing it on the corner of the bed.

"...Why do I always have to play the princess? I want to be the hero for once!" He slid down the ladder, Mario following close behind, as he walked over to the desk and picked up the fallen objects his brother hadn't bothered to pick up. "Well...because..."

He brought his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. "Because I'm the oldest, that's why! Plus, you look pretty good in a dress! Haha!" Mario covered his mouth with his hands and burst out laughing, stopping soon though, when he saw his brother's expression.

"...Sorry, Weegee. I'll...let you be the hero next time. Alright?" Luigi secretly got a kick out of Mario's attempt at sharing the glory of being older, but refused to show it on his face. At least, not until he got more than just playing the hero next time.

Seeing Luigi's unconvinced expression, he pursed his lips and tried to think of something else. Then, it hit him. "Don't worry, bro! When we actually get there, we'll both be the heroes! We'll save the princess, beat Bowser, and do everything _together_, we'll be just like a team. We'll be called the...the Super Mario Bros!"

This brought a smile to Luigi's face. It _was_ kind of nice of Mario to include him like this. He always expected to be just like the sidekick, never given any opportunities. But this made him certain that his best friend, his brother, saw more in him than all the kids at school did. "Promise?"

Mario held out his hand to him. "Promise." Luigi took his brother's hand and shook it, ensuring that one day they both will be the heroes.

Suddenly, Luigi ran over to their closet door, grabbed a red crayon and a green crayon, and began doodling on a poster paper that was already covered in drawings.

Mario made his way over to where Luigi stood, taking in the paper that covered their entire closet door. The drawing, done by Mario and Luigi themselves, was a map of the world of their dreams: The Mushroom Kingdom.

The hills and clouds had eyes, and the mushrooms were as tall as buildings. Brick blocks floated high above the ground, usually filled with coins. And towering over it all, a glorious castle surrounded by flowers and a small village. On the opposite side of the map, a dark and gloomy castle sat looming over a lake of lava. _"The Bad Guy's castle..." _Mario thought. There is no path leading anywhere else, Papa hasn't gotten that far in the story yet.

"Done!" Luigi exclaimed, stepping back to show off the newest doodle: two stick figures, one red and one green, on their way to the Princess' Castle.

Mario slung his arm around his baby brother. "That'll be us someday, bro!"

Then, a knock at the door sounded, followed by a loud yet comforting voice. "Mario? Luigi? Is it safe?" The brothers giggled and ran over to the door, flinging it open to reveal their dad.

"It is now, Papa! We just beat him again!" Luigi hopped up and down, excited to brag to him.

"Oh, that Bowser! Think he'll ever learn?" Mario crossed his arms and tried his best to look like his father did - confident, strong, brave, and kind. Just like what he hoped to grow up to be like. "Nah, but he _is_ good for laughs though."

Their father's laugh boomed throughout the room, then he scooped his two sons up into his arms; one in each arm. "That's exactly right, Mario. Now, you guys ready to fly?"

"Yay!" They both cheered, positioning themselves so that they were laying on their stomachs. He jogged around the room in circles, holding the boys up then dropping them in his arms.

After a few minutes, he made his way over to their bed, and plopped Luigi on the top bunk, and Mario on the bottom. "Papa, more flying!" Luigi begged stretching out his arms at him.

"Shh, Weegee! Don't you wanna hear the story?" Mario whispered harshly at him, causing him to lay back down with his lip stuck out. "Oh, yes!" Their dad chuckled, and leaned over the eldest brother, tucking his covers in more snuggly. "Alright, alright. Where did I leave off last time?" He asked as he moved to tucking Luigi in.

"Bowser kidnapped the princess, and took her into the woods with the wizard." Luigi snuggled into his teddy bear, Ted. He was originally going to name him Teddy, but then him and Mario decided it was too babyish...so they shortened it to Ted.

Their father smiled, remembering what happens next. "Ahh, yes. Kamek was the wizard's name." He backed up from the bunk bed, so that both boys could see him.

"Bowser was hatching a new plan, that he needed Kamek's help with." Mario and Luigi listened with wide eyes, curiousity eminating from them.

"He took the princess into the forest, ordering some goombas to surround her so she couldn't escape." He narrowed his eyes and moved his gaze back and forth between his two sons. "Then he did something very strange...he pulled out a small, ordinary caterpillar. And then he threw it to Kamek." He imitated throwing something at Luigi, who in return pretended to catch it.

"When Kamek caught it, she laughed. She took out her wand. And she zapped the caterpillar." Mario partially hid under the blanket. "Poor little caterpillar..." He always did have a weak spot for innocent beings.

"When the light faded, the caterpillar was no longer small. But he was as big as Bowser!" The two boys gasped. "'My servant, Wiggler! Attack the princess!'" Their father spoke in a high, uneven speaking voice; just like the evil wizard's.

"Just as the Wiggler was going to attack, the hero jumped infront of him! He jumped on the Wiggler's head, and then the fight began." A smile spread across Mario's face, he loved hearing about the amazing fights the hero had. Meanwhile, Luigi was partially under his covers, because he always preferred the part of the story when the hero was baked a cake in his honor.

"So there the hero was, battling Wiggler, Kamek, AND Bowser...all at once!" Luigi was trembling now, there was no way he could win! "What happened next, Papa?"

"The hero was clever, he used his brain wisely! As the Wiggler was charging him, he jumped over him at the last second, so he rammed into Bowser!" Mario chuckled.

"Now that Wiggler and Bowser were laying in a heap, he only had Kamek left to deal with. What he did, was brilliant! He dodged the wizard's ray of magic, and it hit a tree instead. It bounced off the tree, and hit another one! It kept going on and on, until eventually it came back and his Kamek in the gut! She was sent flying, and landed right in the pile of the other two enemies. Now that was it for them. They stood up, and high tailed it outta there as fast as they could!"

Luigi came out from hiding. "So, the princess was saved?" "That's right, Luigi! The princess then invited the hero over to the castle, and baked him a cake as thanks." The youngest Mario Bro sighed contently. "That's always my favorite part."

"Who is the hero, Papa?" He smirked, bringing a finger to his lips. "Shh, You'll find out someday."

Papa laughed quietly, aware that they were getting sleepy. "I think I just heard a yawn, Mario." Mario shook his head drowsily. "No...I'm not tired, Papa..." His words gurgled together as he drifted off to sleep.

Luigi smiled at his father before closing his eyes and joining his brother in a dream. Their dad patted each of their heads, and whispered good-night to them.

As he closed the bedroom door, he noticed his wife waiting for him in her night gown. "Did you finish your story?" She whispered.

"It's not finished yet. There are still a lot more adventures I have to tell them." She shook her head as she giggled, walking into the bedroom to go to sleep. "I don't know how you think up this stuff. A wizard named Kamek? A giant turtle with spikes named Bowser? You have a very active imagination..."

"But..." He reached out his arm to her, but decided not to try and explain. She'd find out someday, after all. "Heh, you don't know the half of it." He chuckled as he followed her to the bedroom, yawning.

_It's a good thing they're practicing now to beat Bowser... _

He thought as he gave a final glance to his sons' bedroom door. There was a picture of Mario and Luigi hanging in the center of the door, except they had drawn all over it the words "Mario and Luigi's Room" and doodles of mushrooms and stars.

Then when he turned to walk into his room, he noticed a piece of paper taped to the wall. On it, obviously in the boys' handwriting was:

_'You're our hero, Papa'_

**...Am I accepted? ;) I love the idea of their 'Papa' being their hero :3 So cute! Well, I hope this will brighten up someone's day! Until next Mario fic, which I'm sure will be soon! **


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